by J. Edward Cornelius
Trying to establish the early dealings between Grady McMurtry and
Metzger is difficult due to so much myth making in recent years. Below
are some of the facts as I have uncovered them from my own private
letter archives. Of course, this is sketchy and subject to change. I
have most of the letters between the parties in question but I'm
missing critical ones, pieces of the puzzle, which may throw a whole
different twist into the story if discovered. However, in listing what
we DO know, it may give researchers 'an edge' or direction in order to
uncover the whole truth. So here are the facts.
In McMurtry's files is an interesting letter from Gerald Yorke to him
(dated August 12, 1969) wherein he writes about Metzger, saying
(quote): "He is trying to claim to be the head of every sort of Order -
a common failing and entirely in A.C.'s tradition, for A.C. always
claimed more authority in occult orders than in fact he had. For
instance he was only O.H.O. of that part of the O.T.O. which accepted
the Book of the Law, the German branch for instance never did, and has
since died out. If Metzger ignores you, then ignore him. You have
credentials of your own. But be careful not to claim to be O.H.O. of
the whole O.T.O. order, carry on without making grandiloquent claims
and if your work is sound you could become O.H.O. But do not claim it
prematurely." It seems that throughout 1969 and the seventies, Gerald
Yorke, Israel Regardie, Phyllis Seckler and Grady McMurtry correspond
back and forth. In my files are literally hundreds upon hundreds of
letters, many two, three pages long. It seems Regardie, after seeing
McMurtry's full file and all AC's letters to him and the extent of
their relationship, accepted McMurtry almost immediately as having the
authority to re-establish the OTO in California.
Most important for our concern, in these early years McMurtry publishes
the Thoth Deck out of Lllewellyn which has McMurtry's address on a
printed card, which in one letter to Regardie he states, "the Message
of the Caliph card in every deck sold is a gold mine for us" as far as
recruitment. This letter uses OTO Letterhead as do most of McMurtry's
letters to Regardie. It seems the problems with Metzger begins in
November, or December of 1970 when a friend of both McMurtry's and
Regardie's writes to Metzger and mentions McMurtry's Thoth Deck being
published by Llewellyn. In a letter to Regardie from McMurtry (dated
Dec. 13th 1970) he mentions this, writing, "Apparently Hanlon's letter
to Metzger got him off the dime and so now he's written to me and to
Llewellyn. I'll right him back that the literary rights were settled by
A.C.'s will." Don Hanlon is mentioned quite often between McMurtry &
Regardie who initially think him a very promising student but, toward
the end of their relationship, they think "he's a jerk." Unfortunately
I do not have Don Hanlon's letter to Metzger so no telling what he
actually wrote. Also, at the end of the letter quoted above is a list
of 'enclosures' which McMurtry is sending to Regardie. Unfortunately we
have no copies of these letters surviving in my McMurtry archive but at
least have a reference to them and hopefully they'll surface some day.
1. letter from Llewellyn dated Nov.20th, 1970 to Grady McMurtry.
2. letter from Metzger to Llewellyn (no date listed)
3. letter from Metzger to McMurtry dated Nov.12th 1970
Regardie replies to McMurtry (dated December 21st 1970), "I got a copy
of Metzger's letter from Lllewellyns. I wrote them not to worry about
this letter so far as you and the Tarot cards were concerned. I had a
letter from Metzger too. I'll get it copied soon and mail it to you. He
also sent me a copy of a booklet they issued soon after the death of
Germer. Have you seen it. If not let me know and I'll copy parts of it
that are in English." He also lets McMurtry know in a letter (dated
Jan. 14th 1971) that he has not replied to or "answered Paragranus [=
Metzger] yet. Too busy. I may let some little time go by anyway before
coming to grips with him. In reality there isn't much need for me to
correspond with him." Of importance, it seems McMurtry, Seckler &
Regardie NEVER once dispute Metzger's claims of authority in these
letters. However, it becomes clear that Metzger's assumption about
McMurtry stem from the 1960s based on only 'ONE' letter which McMurtry
sent to him. (which is from Crowley dated Nov. 21st 44). Metzger's view
are not founded upon the dozens, upon dozens of the letters which
Regardie had seen between Crowley & McMurtry which helped him make up
his mind that McMurtry was authentic. Yorke in these early letters
makes it very plain and clear that he 'trusts Regardie's judgment' and
if he accepts things regarding McMurtry, then so does he. These two
individuals then become, what McMurtry calls "the Eyes of Horus."
In a letter (dated Jan. 16th 1971) Phyllis Seckler writes to Regardie,
for Grady McMurtry, saying, that there is no need to send the Swiss
booklet because "we got the booklet about Karl Germer from Metzger so
no need to copy same." (it appears Metzger sent it in his letter dated
Nov. 12th 1970 to McMurtry) She then refers to a comment Regardie made
in a previous letter (which I can't seem to locate) wherein he suggests
a solution between McMurtry & Metzger. She writes, "As to the division
of the world as you suggested in your last letter - my personal opinion
is - we want nothing else. Metzger could hardly begin to understand the
American mind." She rants on in a long paragraph about Metzger's
character. At one point she even jokes, "If it had been me I would have
rushed to welcome the efforts of the McMurtry's in Calif and would have
extended congrats and a charter." Instead, Metzger wants nothing to do
with the Americans. So she acknowledges to Regardie that "McMurtry has
to do whatever may be necessary. Anyhow, it is sometimes fun to
speculate. But I really see nothing but schism ahead. Crowley's O.T.O.
is really shaky, eh what?"
Grady McMurtry writes to Regardie (dated Jan. 29th 1971), "Your
thoughts re Metzger are also very much appreciated. The relation of the
Caliph and the O.H.O. is a constitutional question and will have to be
worked out amongst Thelemites over the next 2000 years." Regardie
replies to McMurtry (dated Feb. 2nd 1971), "Metzger. I know nothing of
constitutional Law. I was merely thinking in terms of a closed front to
the public, with an arbitrary splitting of territories to avoid overt
conflict." The issue about Metzger isn't discussed much further in
their correspondence.
Anyway, in the OTO Form Letter of July 9th 1974, McMurtry clearly
explains his views about Metzger. Doesn't dispute his 'being OTO' just
his 'being O.H.O.' In fact McMurtry writes, "There is at present no
Outer Head of the Order for Aleister Crowley's Ordo Templi Orientis."
(pg.3) On the very next page he writes, "At present both Kenneth Grant
in England and a Herr Metzger in Switzerland have laid claim to being
Outer Head of the Order for the O.T.O. In both cases one can only
presume that they are mistaken. ... Herr Metzger cannot be Outer Head
of the Order because his 'election' was only by his own Lodge in
Switzerland, a purely national body attempting to effect an
international decision. Herr Metzger can also assert that he is the
head of his own O.T.O."
Question P.R.K.:
In the official OTO-NEWSLETTER 1978, McMurtry recognized Metzger's
standing as the X° of Switzerland. Obviously McMurtry must have
changed his view as Metzger was not invited to the electoral body of
the IX°. When and why did McMurtry change his stance?
JC:
Agreed. As far the second question, by the time the 'electoral body of
the IX°' was created Metzger and McMurtry were well into their split.
Neither of them were budging on their views as to who had what
authority and why. In all practical purposes by 1975 there were (at
least) two official OTOs in the world.
